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Indigenous Africa

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Violations Against Indigenous Africa

Documenting historical and contemporary cases of human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples of Africa

Indigenous Africa (IndigenousAFR) at the University of Michigan

See Our Impact
  • A group of herders stand behind their cattle
    Kilosa herders in Tanzania. Image from the South African Institute of International Affairs
  • People walking in a tent camp in the desert.
    Sahrawi community in Gdeim Izik camp in Western Sahari. Image by mexaraui/Flickr.
  • A group of people travelling with camels in the desert.
    Kel Tamasheq in Mali. Image from All the Cities.

Our Mission

Violations Against Indigenous Africa investigates and documents instances of human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples across the African continent. Indigenous communities—primarily pastoralists (herders), agro-pastoralists and hunter-gatherers—frequently face discrimination, marginalization, and violence, and the lack of widespread reporting on these issues enables further exploitation. Our team partners with and supports Indigenous communities by publishing well-researched cases of violations on this website.

Interactive Case Map

Currently reporting 107 cases.

When browsing our map, click a dot to learn more about a case. Make sure to scroll down on the side of the page (blue background) rather than on the map itself. The map includes cases organized by violation category. See the legend on the left to identify the different categories and the color associated with each. If you want to view a specific category, click on the violation, and the map will display applicable cases. Clicking the “Zoom to” icon (magnifying glass) will shift the map to where those cases are located. Clicking the “Show all” icon (checklist) will deselect any categories you have selected and show all the cases on the map.

Impact

This initiative was founded in 2014, and so far, we have published over 100 cases of land violations on our website.

  • 25 Countries
  • 107 Cases Published
Check out our latest projects
Basarwa vs. Moremi Game Reserve
Palm Oil Production in Cameroon
East African Crude Oil Pipeline

Our Team

Run by students at the University of Michigan, VAIA documents historical and contemporary cases of human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples of Africa

Learn more about our organization!

CONTACT US

IndigenousAfrica@umich.edu

Phone: 734-223-1135

Fax: 734-765-2234

Submit Feedback

ADDRESS

Violations Against Indigenous Africa

1446 University Avenue

Ann Arbor, Michigan

48104

SEARCH

@INDIGENOUSAFR

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The University of Michigan has its origins in land coercively purchased by the United States Federal Government from the Anishinaabeg (including Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi) and Wyandot nations. While this project documents ongoing cases of land expropriation and dispossession outside of the United States, we are also based in a university that stands, like almost all property in the United States, on lands obtained from indigenous peoples, generally through violence, intimidation, and dishonesty. Knowing and acknowledging where we live and work does not change this, but a thorough understanding of the ongoing consequences of these histories must shape our research, teaching, and outreach to create a future that supports human flourishing and justice for all individuals.

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